Josh Newbury MP: written questions
113 published records · newest first.
Written questions
Animal Welfare: StandardsDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 30 Apr 2025AnsweredUIN 49476More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what recent discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Business and Trade on the harmonisation in the upcoming Trade Strategy of animal welfare standards between domestical
Answer: The Secretary of State has regular discussions with Cabinet colleagues on a range of issues. The Government shares the public’s high regard for the UK’s environmental protections, food standards and animal welfare. We will promote robust standards nationa...
Answered 12 May 2025
Original Parliament recordAgricultural Products: UK Trade with EUDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 30 Apr 2025AnsweredUIN 49475More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of EU Commission proposals to phase out (a) enriched cages and (b) farrowing crates on UK-EU trade of agricultural goods.
Answer: We remain firmly committed to maintaining and improving animal welfare and want to work closely with the farming sector to deliver high standards. The use of cages and other close confinement systems for farmed animals is an issue which we are currently c...
Answered 8 May 2025
Original Parliament recordAnimal Housing: FarmsDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 30 Apr 2025AnsweredUIN 49474More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what recent assessment he has made of the potential merits of phasing out the use of (a) enriched cages and (b) farrowing crates on English farms.
Answer: We remain firmly committed to maintaining and improving animal welfare and want to work closely with the farming sector to deliver high standards. The use of cages and other close confinement systems for farmed animals is an issue which we are currently c...
Answered 12 May 2025
Original Parliament recordFiresMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 29 Apr 2025AnsweredUIN 49079More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, if she will take steps to develop a strategy for (a) preventing and (b) responding to wildfires.
Answer: The Prime Minister announced in February 2025 that the Home Office’s fire functions would move to the Ministry of Housing, Communities & Local Government (MHCLG) from the 1 April 2025 under a machinery of government (MOG) change. This included its res...
Answered 6 May 2025
Original Parliament recordPackaging: RecyclingDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 24 Apr 2025AnsweredUIN 47858More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether his Department plans to introduce a target for the recycling of fibre-based composite packaging.
Answer: The Government continues to keep the need and timing for the introduction of a separate FBC targets under review. We will consider further once we have improved data on the tonnages of FBC placed on the marked, and the tonnage currently recycled, to estab...
Answered 6 May 2025
Original Parliament recordRecyclingDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 24 Apr 2025AnsweredUIN 47857More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether his Department has considered introducing (a) performance standards and (b) other mandatory requirements for material recovery facilities to sort materials collected at kerbsid
Answer: Defra is working with WRAP (Waste and Resources Action Programme) and waste industry representatives to support MRF (Material Recovery Facility) readiness for the Simpler Recycling requirements. We have engaged with MRF operators and local authorities thr...
Answered 6 May 2025
Original Parliament recordRecyclingDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 24 Apr 2025AnsweredUIN 47856More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether his Department will introduce statutory guidance for the implementation of Simpler Recycling.
Answer: We have published non-statutory guidance to assist local authorities, other waste collectors and workplaces implement the Simpler Recycling requirements. This includes guidance on: Simpler recycling: household recycling in EnglandSimpler recycling: workpl...
Answered 6 May 2025
Original Parliament recordRecycling: Local GovernmentDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 22 Apr 2025AnsweredUIN 46914More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that cartons collected by local authorities (a) currently and (b) following the implementation of Simpler Recycling requirements are (i) r
Answer: The Simpler Recycling reforms will require the same materials to be collected for recycling from every household and workplace (such as businesses, schools and hospitals) across England. These materials fall into the following core groups: metal; glass; p...
Answered 30 Apr 2025
Original Parliament recordResponsible Dog Ownership Working GroupDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 26 Mar 2025AnsweredUIN 41522More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if he will take steps to reconvene the Responsible Dog Ownership Working Group.
Answer: Defra is continuing to work with the police, local authorities and animal welfare groups to explore measures to reduce dog attacks and promote responsible dog ownership across all breeds of dog. We are currently considering the best way to take forward th...
Answered 7 Apr 2025
Original Parliament recordAlcoholic Drinks: LabellingDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 25 Feb 2025AnsweredUIN 33617More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will introduce mandatory labelling on alcoholic drinks with information for consumers on (a) ingredients, (b) calories and (c) sugar content.
Answer: The Government is committed to building a National Health Service fit for the future, with a greater emphasis on the prevention of avoidable health harms, supporting people to live well for longer. The Department will continue to work across Government to...
Answered 5 Mar 2025
Original Parliament recordSlaughterhouses: InspectionsDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 7 Feb 2025AnsweredUIN 29903More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of the planned increase in meat inspection charges by the Food Standards Agency on smaller abattoirs.
Answer: The Food Standards Agency (FSA) has calculated annual charge rates for controls conducted in meat premises in 2025/26 for England and Wales and has indicated that charges will continue to be offset by a taxpayer-funded discount scheme in that financial ye...
Answered 13 Feb 2025
Original Parliament recordAgriculture: Cannock ChaseDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 24 Jan 2025AnsweredUIN 26361More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how much funding from the Farming in Protected Landscapes programme has been allocated to projects in the (a) Cannock Chase constituency and (b) the Cannock Chase National Landscape ar
Answer: Over £570,000 has been spent on approved projects in the Cannock Chase National Landscape area since the Farming in Protected Landscapes programme (FiPL) launched in July 2021, with further projects in progress and to be completed by the end of 24/25.
Answered 5 Feb 2025
Original Parliament recordNational Landscapes: AgricultureDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 24 Jan 2025AnsweredUIN 26360More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if he will make an assessment of the effectiveness of the farming in protected landscapes programme.
Answer: The interim evaluation of the programme found the Farming in Protected Landscapes programme (FiPL) to be delivering positively for nature, climate, people, and place, with over 7,000 farmers participating and 3,700 projects in the first three years across...
Answered 4 Feb 2025
Original Parliament recordPupil Referral Units: Per Capita CostsDepartment for EducationTabled 24 Jan 2025AnsweredUIN 26349More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of variations in per pupil funding for places in pupil referral units on pupils' educational outcomes.
Answer: Most funding for pupil referral units, and other alternative provision (AP), comes from local authorities’ high needs budgets, Following the Autumn Budget 2024, the department is providing an increase of £1 billion for high needs budgets in England in the...
Answered 29 Jan 2025
Original Parliament recordIndependent Parliamentary Standards Authority and Members: StaffSpeaker's Committee for the Independent Parliamentary Standards AuthorityTabled 23 Jan 2025AnsweredUIN 26102More
Question: To ask the hon. Member for Warrington North, representing the Speaker's Committee for the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority, what the percentage increases were for (a) MP's staffing budgets and (b) IPSA staffing expenditure between financial y
Answer: IPSA's proposed budgets are scrutinised each year by the Speaker's Committee for the Independent Parliamentary Authority and approved by the House of Commons.MPs' staffing budgets have increased by 63.3% between 2018-19 and 2024-25. In 2018-19, the London...
Answered 28 Jan 2025
Original Parliament recordPupil Referral UnitsDepartment for EducationTabled 23 Jan 2025AnsweredUIN 26101More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to ensure that pupil referral unit premises are fit for purpose.
Answer: Local authorities are responsible for providing enough school places for their area. The department provides capital funding through the basic need grant to secure mainstream school places and through the high needs provision capital allocations to invest...
Answered 30 Jan 2025
Original Parliament recordPupil Referral Units: StaffordshireDepartment for EducationTabled 23 Jan 2025AnsweredUIN 26100More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to ensure that there is adequate capacity in pupil referral units in (a) Cannock Chase constituency and (b) Staffordshire.
Answer: Local authorities are responsible for providing enough school places for their area. The department provides capital funding through the basic need grant to secure mainstream school places and through the high needs provision capital allocations to invest...
Answered 30 Jan 2025
Original Parliament recordDiabetes: Eating DisordersDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 23 Jan 2025AnsweredUIN 26099More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department plans to publish the outcomes of NHS England trials of bespoke services for patients with type 1 diabetes with disordered eating.
Answer: To support improved treatment and care for people with type 1 diabetes with disordered eating (T1DE) across the National Health Service, NHS England will:- provide another year of funding for the five T1DE pilot sites, up to March 2026, to ensure sufficie...
Answered 30 Jan 2025
Original Parliament recordDiabetes: Eating DisordersDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 23 Jan 2025AnsweredUIN 26098More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to help support people with type 1 diabetes with disordered eating in (a) Staffordshire and (b) other areas that are not included in the pilot scheme.
Answer: To support improved treatment and care for people with type 1 diabetes with disordered eating (T1DE) across the National Health Service, NHS England will:- provide another year of funding for the five T1DE pilot sites, up to March 2026, to ensure sufficie...
Answered 30 Jan 2025
Original Parliament recordDisability Aids: ChildrenDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 20 Jan 2025AnsweredUIN 24972More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department will take steps to work with the Lead Ministers for Disability to help ensure disabled children receive specialist equipment in a timely manner.
Answer: On the International Day of Persons with Disabilities 2024, the Minister for Social Security and Disability announced new Lead Ministers for Disability in every Government department. I am the Lead Minister for Disability for the Department of Health and ...
Answered 29 Jan 2025
Original Parliament recordDisability Aids: ChildrenDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 20 Jan 2025AnsweredUIN 24971More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the length of time taken to provide equipment for children with disabilities.
Answer: The integrated care boards (ICBs) in England are responsible for commissioning services to meet the health needs of their local population. NHS England Specialised Commissioning commissions complex disability equipment services, including communication ai...
Answered 27 Jan 2025
Original Parliament recordDisability Aids: ChildrenDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 20 Jan 2025AnsweredUIN 24970More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to help ensure that children with disabilities receive equipment in a timely manner.
Answer: The integrated care boards (ICBs) in England are responsible for commissioning services to meet the health needs of their local population. NHS England Specialised Commissioning commissions complex disability equipment services, including communication ai...
Answered 27 Jan 2025
Original Parliament recordDisability Aids: ChildrenDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 20 Jan 2025AnsweredUIN 24969More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if his Department will take steps to issue guidance on the (a) roles and (b) responsibilities of (i) health, (ii) education, (iii) social care, (iv) education services and (v) the charitable sector
Answer: The integrated care boards (ICBs) in England are responsible for commissioning services to meet the health needs of their local population. NHS England Specialised Commissioning commissions complex disability equipment services, including communication ai...
Answered 27 Jan 2025
Original Parliament recordPlanning: Health ServicesMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 6 Jan 2025AnsweredUIN 22103More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether her Department has made an assessment of the potential merits of making (a) Integrated Care Boards and (b) NHS trusts statutory consultees in the planning process.
Answer: NHS and Integrated Care Boards are consultees on local plans. This helps ensure that local strategies to improve health and the provision of the required health infrastructure are considered upfront in plans and in planning decisions. There are no current...
Answered 13 Jan 2025
Original Parliament recordAnimal ExperimentsDepartment for Science, Innovation and TechnologyTabled 18 Dec 2024AnsweredUIN 21150More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what steps his Department is taking to support the (a) development and (b) evaluation of (i) non-animal test methods and (ii) new approach methodologies to replace animal testing.
Answer: The Government is committed to supporting the uptake, development and evaluation of alternative methods to the use of animals in science and new approach methodologies. It is not yet possible to replace all animal use due to the complexity of biological s...
Answered 8 Jan 2025
Original Parliament record
Published records only — not a full account of an MP’s work. How we work →